NE FIRST

Out to New England FIRST Robotics Competition teams...

NE FIRST Things FIRST

Week of April 18, 2016

 
     
Thank You to the NE FIRST Community!
 
Now that we have concluded our official events for the 2016 competition season, we want to take the opportunity to thank all of the volunteers, students, mentors, sponsors, parents and supporters that made this season possible. Your countless hours of dedication, enthusiasm, and willingness to support others are what make NE FIRST the amazing community that it is.

     
FIRST Championship Information
 
Congratulations to the 42 New England teams that will be attending FIRST Championship next week! The team list from New England can be found here, and a general team list is available on the event page.
 
The FIRST Championship website is the main hub for information about the event, including the FIRST Robotics Competition Public Schedule. The schedule for the FIRST Championship Conferences is available on the Championship website, as are the session & workshop descriptions and presenter bios. Additionally, the FIRST Championship App, designed by BechTel, will have all the latest news, interactive maps, personalized schedules, activities, team information, alerts and more.
 
All teams attending FIRST Championship (even as spectators) need to register each team member, mentor, parent/chaperone, etc. through the Experient housing and badging website.
 
If you have any issues with registration, are still looking for transportation, or need a way to transport materials, please reach out to your Regional Director ASAP.

     
Championship Divisional Assignments and First Updates Now
 
At about 8 p.m. on Friday, April 22, FIRST will be publicly releasing the preliminary Divisional assignments and Qualification Schedules for FIRST Championship on the FIRST website. Following the release of divisions, First Updates Now (FUN) will be hosting a one hour special, looking at those assignments and schedules and having special guests weigh in on such things as comparative Divisional strengths and exciting matches to look for. You can tune in to the live FUN broadcast here and the archived show will be posted here after the live stream. More information can be found in the blog. 

     
#FIRSTChampLive and FIRST Championship Webcasts
 
GameSense has partnered with FIRST and Twitch.tv to stream live from FIRST Championship! #FIRSTChampLIVE is going to be the place to watch this year's Championship online, whether you're a diehard FIRST fanatic, or you're joining from "outside the tent" of FIRST's usual fans. During the three days of the event, they'll be doing:
  • "Whip-around" coverage of all eight FRC divisions, showing the best match that's happening on the dome floor at any given time
  • Analysis by the #FIRSTChampLIVE crew between matches
  • Recaps and highlights from all four of FIRST's programs
  • Interviews with some totally awesome people from FIRST and the FIRST community
  • FRC Match video archiving provided by STEMtv
#FIRSTChampLive and the FIRST Championship webcasts for the all of the FIRST programs will be available on the Championship website. More information about #FIRSTChampLive can be found here. 

     
FedEx Innovation Challenge at FIRST Championship
 
The FedEx Innovation Challenge will be happening again at FIRST Championship this year for FIRST Robotics Competition and FIRST Tech Challenge teams! The new challenges will be revealed starting on Thursday, April 28 at 7:00 a.m. CDT under the Challenges tab on the website. All responses will be judged on accuracy, creativity, and the level of team participation and spirit. Submissions must be posted to Twitter or Instagram by 8:00 p.m. CDT on Friday, April 29, to qualify. All responses must include three hashtags: #FedEx, #OMGrobots and #[your team number and the word Contest: example #FTC123Contest].
  • Gold Prize: $10,000 grant from FedEx
  • Silver Prize: $7,500 grant from FedEx
  • Bronze Prize: $5,000 grant from FedEx
     
Off-Season Event Updates
 
Robot Shipping from Championship
 
Due to Connecticut hosting the earliest State Championship event, all New England robots are slated to leave St. Louis no later than Tuesday, May 3. Robots should arrive back in New England by Friday, May 6, which leaves plenty of time for you to prepare for any of the off-season events listed below.
 
Connecticut State Championship (restricted to CT teams)
 
The Connecticut State Championship, hosted by NE FIRST and the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS), will be held on Saturday, May 14 at Pomperaug High School in Southbury, CT. Registration is $200/team and can be completed here. Additionally, the volunteer sign-up form is now available.
 
Battlecry@WPI 17
 
Battlecry@WPI 17 will be held at WPI Harrington Auditorium on Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22. Registration is $400/team, which includes 10 shirts, 10 Saturday Night BBQ tickets, 10 Saturday Night Ice Cream Social tickets, and 10 Sunday Lunches. Extra shirts and food tickets can be requested after your team has registered or joined the Ready Reserves waitlist. Registration and more information are available on the website, and interested volunteers can fill out the form here.
 
Mayhem in Merrimack
 
The Twelfth Annual Mayhem In Merrimack, hosted by FRC 166, will take place on Saturday, June 4 at Merrimack High School in Merrimack NH. Registration will be $175/team and more information can be found on the website.
 
Where is Wolcott Invitational 2016
 
The Where is Wolcott Invitational (WIWI) post-season event, hosted by FRC 1071, will be held on Saturday, June 11 at Wolcott High School in Wolcott, CT. Registration is $250/team. To register, email the registration form to Rob Cormier at rcormier@wolcottps.org. This event is limited to 24 teams and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. 

     
NE FIRST Competition Videos
 
Match videos from Granite State, North Shore, WPI, UMass Dartmouth, Rhode Island, UNH, Hartford, Boston, Pine Tree and District Championship are available on the NE FIRST YouTube page! The season wrap video, put together by Jx2 Productions and played at District Championship, is available here. United Technologies, the presenting sponsor of the event, posted a short video, as well.

     
National Advocacy Conference 2016 presented by Team RUSH 27
 
This is an opportunity for you and your team to make a difference in our future! Students and mentors will be trained on the issues and sent to Capitol Hill to meet with Senators and Members of Congress to promote FIRST and legislation for the expansion of FIRST and STEM education. The conference will be taking place Sunday, June 19 - Tuesday, June 21. Registration and more information can be found here.

     
5th Annual U.S. Air Force / FIRST Leadership Experience
 
The U.S. Air Force develops leaders of great character and vision. For the 5th year, the U.S. Air Force is offering a unique three day leadership program providing 25 FIRST mentors who are also teachers with hands on leadership training taught by Air Force personnel. The event consists of lectures, team building exercises and tours of the Air Force Academy and a local Air Force Base. Applications must be submitted by Friday, May 20 and more information can be found here.

     
SocialMedia Toolkit for FIRST Championship
 
Help us #makeitLOUD during the #FIRSTChamp event! The Social Media Toolkit provides you with thought-starters, daily themes, ready-to-share content, and quick-links to our official pages. Even if you aren't attending the FIRST Championship in St. Louis, you can participate in the conversation with us! Send shout-outs to your favorite teams competing! Share your favorite stories and memories from the 2016 season! Visit the site for more information.

 
Upcoming Events
 
Cambridge Science Festival
April 15-24
Website

FIRST Championship
April 27-30
Championship Website
Public Schedule
Housing & Badging Registration
Webcast & #FIRSTChampLive
 
Connecticut State Championship
Saturday, May 14
Pomperaug Regional High School
234 Judd Rd, Southbury, CT 06488
Website

Contact Us
 
NE FIRST Executive Director
Bruce Linton (blinton@nefirst.org)
 
NE FIRST Advisor
Jessica Boucher (jboucher@ingenuityne.org)
 
NE FIRST Regional Directors
Connecticut - Carol Scully (cscully@nefirst.org)
Maine - Karen Giles (kgiles@nefirst.org)
Massachusetts/Rhode Island - Steve Cremer (scremer@nefirst.org)
New Hampshire/Vermont - Scott Heaton (sheaton@nefirst.org)
 
NE FIRST Senior Mentors
Connecticut - Stacey Gray (sgray@firstinspires.org)
Massachusetts - Dana Henry (dhenry@firstinspires.org)
 

 

Archives of NE FIRST Things FIRST are available on the archive page and on the NE FIRST site under "News." Submissions and suggestions can be sent to ljefferson@firstinspires.org.

 

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